Petition to Ban Fortnite Close to 1,000 Signatures

By Dalton Cooper 14 April 2018

It’s no secret that people like Fortnite, and some are dedicating quite a bit of time to the battle royale game. However, the amount of time people are spending with Fortnite has caused some concern, even leading to a petition that, while initially made as a “joke,” seems to have caught the attention of people who genuinely want the game banned.

The petition, which has 919 signatures at the time of this writing, was created by two people named Chloe and Jaden as a call to “get rid of” Fortnite for the apparent effect it has on males. The petition mentions how mothers, wives, and girlfriends are “annoyed” when their significant others ignore them for the free-to-play battle royale game as the main reason for why it should be banned.

After the petition caught the eye of mainstream news media, including The Washington Post, Chloe and Jaden updated the page to explain that while they initially started it as a joke, they do think Fortnite is a “rising issue” with families.

“I also see how mothers get annoyed and wife’s/girlfriends when their significant others ignore them for It. Regardless we never knew this would blow up so big. It was initially a joke but It seems to be a rising issue within families because everyone has been so addicted to It.”

The repeated complaint about Fortnite is aimed at the game’s “addictive” nature. While few would argue against the idea that video games can be addictive, it is worth pointing out that at least one researcher has said that Fortnite itself is not addictive. That same researcher, Andrew Reid from Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, also pointed out how the game’s cartoony graphics means its violence won’t have as negative of an impact on kids as other shooters.

Even so, the interest in the petition shows that there is a genuine concern among some people that their loved ones are playing the increasingly popularFortnite too much. While some of the people almost certainly signed the petition as a joke, the comments show that there are people who actually dislike the game or feel that it is having a negative impact on someone in their lives. Of course, similar things have been said in the past about other popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft without any significant negative consequences to the world at large, so some may feel these people are overreacting.

Regardless, the petition to ban Fortnite is getting more attention, and it will be interesting to see if it continues to take off, and how Epic Games may respond to it.

Fortnite is available now in early access on iOS devices, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.